Central Mishap
by catsandcanaries
Summary: "Okay well…don't be alarmed… but I may or may not have just been shot," Edward chided, his eyes half closed as he leaned heavily against the desk for support, his hand clenching the black undergarments tightly. "You….what?"
1. Shot

The sun cackled down on the streets of Central, its heat flustering amongst the busy citizens as they hustled about. The cobblestone streets were buzzing with summer tourists and busy families as they scoped out the occasional street vendor or military monuments. Summer was a busy time for most places, Central being no exception.

However, with the great crowds of harmless citizens came a few nasty individuals with a knack for causing trouble.

Edward huffed as he rounded another corner, his golden eyes scanning the crowds in front of him. He was on the hunt for one of said trouble-makers, a petty thief who had been pickpocketing people for the past couple weeks. It was supposed to be an easy job, especially considering the thief wasn't mentioned to be an alchemist.

The teen mumbled under his breath as he rolled his shoulders, his automail arm creaking with the strain. The heat was never good to him, and the steel did nothing but cook the longer he was outside.

_I just need to find this bastard quickly so I can get back inside and take a nap, _Edward scowled to himself as he meandered through the crowds.

It would help to have Alphonse with him - his extra feet would've helped him to have spotted the thief ages ago – but the younger brother was back in Resembool helping Winry move parts around in their attempt to clean out her workspace. Ed would've loved to stay and help, but Colonel Mustang had other ideas for him.

Edward shook his head at the thought and stepped into a back alley for a minute to catch his breath. The sun bore down on his aching limbs, and he cringed as a shaky swipe left his arm covered in sweat from his forehead. The alley offered little shade, and even then- the temperature was simply too high for someone with metal prosthetics.

_Once we find him, we can easily bring him in and be done. _

Edward grunted as he stretched himself out before heading back out to scope the area. His tongue felt like paper, and his eyes stung as they tried to remain focused on the task at hand.

_Just a little longer…_

A flash of green caught his attention, and Edward swung his head around to catch the fleeting glance of the coated individual. His black hair was strewn about, and he kept his hands in his pockets warily.

_Little hot for a coat, _Edward almost chuckled before the heat from his own red garment reminded him, he was just as much a fool.

That is, until he realized the green coat belonged to the man he was sent to retrieve.

"Hey!" Edward spun around and launched after the thief, who immediately bolted after hearing the blonde's shout. Edward cursed to himself and bolted after the man, legs thudding heavily against the cobblestone streets. Every twist and turn sent Ed's stomach reeling, and his body ached in protest as he pushed on, determined to catch the guy that made him hunt all day in the blazing heat.

Eventually, after rounding a sharp corner, the man was backed into an inescapable alleyway. His eyes darted around frantically as he tried to figure out his next move, but Edward got there quickly.

"You're coming with me," He huffed irritably as he tried to brush his hair out of his sticky face.

"Yeah right, you're just a kid," The cloaked man sneered, bending his knees to prepare for a quick escape.

"Hey I'm a State Alchemist, so you'd better watch your tone," Edward glared. He started bringing his hands together slowly, ready to do what it took to bring the guy in.

"Ooh ho, State Alchemist you say? In that case, I have something even more special for you!"

Edward narrowed his eyes as the figure pulled his hands out from under his garments. The glint of metal made his stomach drop, but the heat left him groggy and disoriented and he just started to move when the shot rang out.

Sharp pain bloomed in Edward's abdomen, and he leaned forward in shock, his body freezing momentarily. The thief took this as his chance and ran past Edward, who didn't dare try and follow him.

Blood seeped through the black undergarments Edward sported and coated the hands that subconsciously latched onto his stomach. Edward grit his teeth as he leaned against the alley wall, peering down at the wound. The bullet hadn't gone straight through, but it didn't seem to have pierced anything vital. However, he needed to do something soon or he'd bleed out- especially considering how gross his body felt even before he was shot.

_I was shot. _

Edward grimaced and slowly made his way out of the alley, clinging to the wall and any portions of shade he could find, hand clasped tightly to his side. With all the noise and commotion on the streets, it didn't seem like anyone had heard the gunshot.

_Probably for the best, _Edward grunted to himself. The fewer people involved, the fewer people potentially hurt.

But as Ed made his way towards Central command, he could feel his legs start to grow heavier and heavier. His automail creaked and burned, and his lungs were filled with sand and fire. Crimson blood still flowed freely from his stomach, leaving his hands feeling even more sticky and gross than before. Black spots danced dangerously in front of Ed's eyes as he rounded the corner and made the beeline to the front doors, but he blinked them away determined to make it to Mustang.

Mustang would know what to do, Mustang would be able to catch the guy. _Mustang_ didn't have to worry about automail overheating and not being able to see over the crowds of people, though Edward wouldn't admit to that last one. No matter how hurt he was.

Ed shoved the heavy doors open with his free arm, flinching as the sun hit the steel sending a flash of warmth through his already overheated body. The door creaked loudly as he stumbled through it, but he pressed on. Havoc was walking through the hallway when he spotted the young alchemist.

"Fullmetal! Hey how'd the mission-"

"Need to talk to Mustang," Ed grunted, not wanting to be rude to Havoc but not in the mood to sit and chat. His stomach lurched with every step, and the blood flow wasn't ceasing.

"Hey, are you ok? You're looking a little pale," Havoc peered at the alchemist, not noticing the stomach wound through the dark fabric and Ed's measly attempts to hide it.

"M' fine, need to report in," The Elric brother huffed as he trudged through the hallway towards Roy Mustang's office. Havoc glanced after him, shrugging to himself when he couldn't pinpoint the unease he felt after seeing Edward's gaze.

Ed's vision was getting worse, the black splotches getting harder and harder to blink away. He could feel himself swaying a little with every step he took, but he was _so close. _

"Fullmetal you look awful, what happened? Do you need to go to a hospital?" Hawkeye immediately assaulted Edward with questions as soon as she saw him, her eyes attempting to scan him over for any injuries. She would have made him sit immediately and called someone, had she seen the gunshot wound, but Edward was quick to grab the door to Mustang's office, not letting her glimpse his front side.

"Just gotta report," He mumbled fairly incoherently as he lurched into the cool office room.

"Ah, Fullmetal, I see you're done with your pursuit. I take it, it went well?"

Edward shuffled towards the desk, stopping when his automail arm grasped the edge of it sternly, nearly cracking the surface of the nice wood.

"He's still out there," Edward stated plainly. Odd, considering he usually threw insults as fast as he could.

Roy glared at him, before noticing how pale he was, and how his skin seemed clammy and ghastly. Not to mention the slight sway the boy had or the fact that he was nearly doubled over the desk.

"Fullmetal is everything ok? What happened? Why did you let him get away?" Mustang wasted no time and attempted to get to the bottom of things. He was concerned, to say the least. It wasn't often the Elric brother simply let someone go so easily, normally he would have spent all day hunting the guy down as opposed to reporting to Roy empty-handed. It also was odd how quiet he was being, usually, the boy was easy to erupt and snap at his superior officer. However, his lack of anger didn't go unnoticed by the Colonel.

"Okay well…don't be alarmed… but I may or may not have just been shot," Edward chided, his eyes half closed as he leaned heavily against the desk for support, his hand clenching the black undergarments tightly.

"You…._what?!_" Worry seeped into Mustang's voice as he leaped from his chair and rounded the desk.

"I said…don't...don't be alarmed…" Edward trailed off, his voice hitching as he slurred half of what was said. His arm shook dangerously under him and without warning gave out under him. He would have hit his head against the desk had Roy not been there to grasp his shoulders and keep him upright.

"Sit. Now Fullmetal," Mustang guided the boy to the couch in his office and pushed him onto it gently, noting the lack of resistance Edward usually showed to direct orders.

"Stay here, I'm going to get an ambulance called for." Roy eyed Ed cautiously, "_Don't move."_

"Wasn't plannin on it…" Edward scowled lazily, leaning his head back against the cushions. His body was burning, but he could barely keep his eyes open.

Roy strode over to the door at an incredible pace, lurching it open and calling for Hawkeye.

"Sir, what can-"

"Fullmetal's been shot, call an ambulance up here," Mustang snapped quickly. "And get Havoc to bring up some towels and water."

A brief moment of panic flashed across Hawkeye's usually stoic face before she nodded curtly and rushed off.

Hustling back inside Roy froze when he saw Edward's head lolling on the couch, the young alchemist fighting to stay awake.

"Edward don't you dare fall asleep on me," Mustang rushed over and knelt by the boy, placing a stern grip on his knee.

"M' tryin, just tired," Edward groaned. "Hurts."

"I know it hurts, but you need to stay awake. Havoc will be here any moment with some bandages and an ambulance is on the way, can you stay awake until then?"

Mustang waited for a second as Ed seemed to pull himself together, at least as much as he could.

"I'll try," He rasped. "Hurts like a bitch."

Roy chuckled lightly, forgiving the harsh language considering the situation.

"M' hot," Ed grunted, attempting to pull his coat off one-handed.

"Hey, hey, don't move. I'll get it," Roy intervened, grasping the red fabric in an attempt to pull it off him.

"Can you sit forward for me for a second?" Roy asked. Ed huffed at him.

"You just told me not to move."

"Ok smartass, I can't get your coat off if you don't move at least a little," Roy snapped. Edward rolled his eyes and slid forward, wincing as his stomach protested the movement.

The way his face scrunched together, and how his body seemed to quake with the effort didn't go unnoticed, and Roy moved quickly and smoothly.

"Ok you can lean back, but I'm going to need you to take your hand off your stomach."

Edward looked up at him, golden eyes starting to glaze over, but still holding their disbelief.

"I know it sucks and it's going to hurt but do you want this coat off or not," Roy stated matter-of-factly.

"Hey Boss, Sir, I brought bandages and water," Havoc waltzed through the door, his face paling slightly when he saw Fullmetal sprawled across the couch. "The ambulance should be here shortly."

"Thank you, put the wet bandages over his forehead to help cool him down," Roy ordered. Havoc immediately got to work, and Roy turned his attention back to his subordinate who had cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Your face is flushed, and don't think I haven't noticed how hard you're breathing. You've probably got mild heat stroke," Roy muttered.

Ed just nodded, taking a deep breath before slowly removing his hand from where it had been pressed against the wound. He threw his head back and grit his teeth as the cold air hit the now-exposed wound.

If Roy wasn't used to messy wounds from Ishval he would have been sick; the bullet hadn't entered very cleanly, and the skin was black and oozing with an ungodly amount of blood. Havoc immediately pressed clean bandages to it while Roy pulled the rest of the coat off.

"I-Is it bad?" Edward's voice quaked as he glanced down at the two men working around his stomach, cold cloth resting across his forehead.

"You'll be ok, just take deep breaths and focus on staying awake," Havoc chided in before Roy could say anything. Roy let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"M'kay," Edward muttered, resting his head against the back of the couch once more. It was unlike him to be so passive and quiet, which did nothing but further the Colonel's worry: if that was even possible.

"Sir the ambulance is here," Hawkeye poked her head into the room, eyes widening at the sight of Havoc struggling to hold the now-bloodied bandages in place. "It's going to be hard to get a stretcher up here, you'll need to bring him down."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Roy nodded to her as he stood. "Fullmetal, bare with me here but we need to take you downstairs."

The blonde didn't respond, his head still resting against the back of the couch like dead weight.

"Fullmetal?"

No response.

"Fullmetal answer me, that's an order!" Mustang ignored the way his voice wavered with fear.

Still nothing.

"Edward answer me dammit!" He shook the boy's shoulder gently, and Edward's pale face looked up at him.

"M awake," He muttered, his eyes drooping with every second.

"Don't scare me like that, you need to stay awake," Roy sighed nervously. "Can you walk?"

"Maybe."

Roy nodded to that, placing an arm around Ed's shoulders. "We need to go downstairs to the ambulance, come on."

Edward huffed and slowly crept into a sitting position, before standing on shaky legs. He grunted as he stood, leaning heavily into Mustang's support.

"That's it, you've got it, we need to get you to a hospital come on," Roy encouraged him, walking with him slowly as they made their way towards the door. He tried to ignore the slow dripping as Ed's exposed wound painted the floor.

"Colonel I don't feel so good," Edward moaned, head hanging towards the floor.

"I know, but we're almost to the steps, you need to stay awake."

"It hurts."

"I know, but you're almost there."

Edward's breathing grew sluggish as the overly warm boy leaned heavier into Roy, nearly sending him tumbling.

"Hey, hey, we're almost there you can do this," Roy rasped, to himself or Edward he wasn't sure.

"I think…I need to sit down…" Ed mumbled hastily before his knees buckled and he slid towards the floor. Roy caught him quickly, Havoc helping to grab his other side before setting him down on the floor.

Roy knelt next to Edward, who was slumped against Havoc's side.

"Fullmetal are you ok?"

No response.

Edward's eyes were closed, his face pale and his breathing slowing.

"Fullmetal you need to wake up."

Nothing.

"That's an order Fullmetal!"

Still nothing.

"Edward stay with me, snap out of it!" Roy frantically shook the boy softly, but there was still no response from the limp figure in front of him. Havoc glanced up at him, pale with fright.

"Dammit," Roy quickly slid an arm under the boy's knees as he hoisted him off the ground, trying to ignore the waves of heat rolling off the alchemist's body.

"Stay with me Edward, don't you dare die on me now," Roy panted as he lurched down the stairs, Havoc and Hawkeye trailing closely behind.

Edward couldn't die on them, not now, not like this.


	2. Aftermath

The ride to the hospital was nerve wracking, to say the least. Roy had been allowed inside the ambulance, but Havoc and Riza were forced to trail behind by car. Jean gripped the edge of his seat nervously as Riza expertly followed close behind the ambulance, not daring to mention the growing white of Riza's hands from her vice-like grip. Her steely eyes were locked onto the van in front of them, as Havoc's leg bounced anxiously. He desperately wanted a quick smoke to ease his nerves and the growing dread in his stomach, but he knew better than to try and smoke around Hawkeye, much less in her car.

The ride wasn't much better for Roy either. Edward had regained consciousness about halfway there, eyes glazed over and unfocused. He mumbled something about Al and his mother, before fading out as quickly as he had come to.

Roy sat on the side of the van, hands folded neatly under his chin as he leaned forward, as if any minute the machines temporarily hooked up to Ed would give off that shrill, blood-freezing tone. The nurses worked quickly around him, cleaning off the area around the wound and trying to keep him stabilized. Sweat shone on Ed's skin and his now bare chest. Cold compresses were pressed against his side to try and bring down the fever he was sporting as a result of exhausting himself in the heat.

_The bullet didn't hit anything vital._

_He's going to be ok he's just lost a lot of blood._

_Do you know his blood type?_

The nurses bombarded Roy with various questions and reassurances, but they did little to ease his worry. In all honesty, Roy doubted his worry would cease until Fullmetal waltzed into his office, angrily demanding a new assignment and throwing countless curse words at him. However, Roy knew it would be a while before the young alchemist would be back in the field; not like Ed would particularly enjoy hearing that. For the time being, Roy concluded he would feel better once Ed got some of his color back, and stopped looking seconds away from death.

The drive, while only about ten minutes, felt like hours and Roy's legs ached from the tension as he stood when the van slowed to a halt. Paramedics were quickly pulling open the back doors and rolling Ed out into the surgical wing. He was going to be ok, so they said, as long as they got the bullet out quickly and cleanly. There was risk of infection the longer they left it in, and it wasn't helping his body heal it at all.

Roy tried to press after them but a few of the other doctors and staff members were quick to usher him into the waiting area just on the other side of the surgical wing. Fists clenched and teeth grit, Roy sat down with a huff of frustration. He logically knew he wasn't going to be allowed back there, but he still didn't enjoy receiving orders from non-military personnel, and this was _Edward_ dammit.

Stiff heels against tile pulled Roy's attention from his angered stewing as he glanced up to see Riza and Jean make their way over to him.

"How is he?" Hawkeye asked immediately, Havoc close behind her, kneeling slightly to catch his breath from their quick dash into the building.

"I don't know. He just went into surgery to remove the bullet," Roy muttered. "He woke up once on the way here but wasn't coherent, and was back out in a matter of seconds."

Hawkeye bit her lip and nodded sternly. The both of them took seats next to Mustang, their bodies aching from the stress and drained adrenaline.

"Has Alphonse been contacted?" Mustang questioned, throwing a glance at Riza.

"I called him as soon as we got here, before we found you actually," Jean grunted in response. "He should be here shortly."

"Thank you."

"Mm, no problem."

The trio waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity, Roy chewing the inside of his lip anxiously. They had seen doctors rush in and out, but there had been no updates on Ed's condition as of yet.

About thirty minutes in Alphonse arrived, panicked and fumbling around, which started to scare the staff and other residents. Hawkeye had ended up running down to retrieve him, and he soon was sitting with the rest of them, waiting nervously.

"W-will he be ok?" Alphonse spoke up once the initial shock wore off.

"I don't know," Roy frowned. "I think so; I think he just lost a lot of blood. The doctor's said it didn't hit anything vital."

Alphonse hummed a response, throwing them in silence for a little once more.

"I can't believe he got _shot_," Alphonse whimpered, to no one in particular. Riza tore her eyes from where he was sitting, and Roy placed his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry Alphonse," Jean muttered after a moment.

Everyone jerked at that, turning to stare at him in bewilderment.

"H-Havoc? What are you talking about?" Al pondered.

"When Ed first walked into the building, I knew something was off with him; he just didn't seem like himself. But I didn't push it…maybe I should have. If I had, he'd have been here a lot sooner and probably in better condition. I'm sorry." Jean hung his head, looking as if someone had just sucker-punched him in the gut.

"You're no less at fault than I am Havoc," Riza spoke up. "When Ed came upstairs, he seemed ill, or at the very least not well. I asked him if he needed a hospital, and what was the matter, but he just told me he needed to speak to Mustang and walked in. I…I should have stopped him, should have noticed the wound, noticed…anything. I'm just as much to blame."

Mustang shook his head at this, slowly bringing it from where it was resting in his palms.

"No, it's neither of your faults. I'm the one that sent Ed out in the heat, that sent him to chase down this guy. I didn't even need him to do it, it was just a stupid pick-pocketer, something the local police could have managed. He had just been bugging me about assignments lately and I was getting tired of hearing him complain about desk work, so I sent him on the first little thing I saw. I…I should have been more cautious, or at the very least waited to give him an assignment until it had cooled down." Roy hung his head shamefully, guilt plain on his face.

"Ed's a smart kid, he shouldn't have been shot in the first place. Ed's got better reflexes than all three of us, he should have been able to use alchemy, or dodge it, or restrain the perp before anything happened. If I'm guessing correctly, he was just overworked from the heat. I shouldn't have sent him out. I know about his automail…. I…I know-"

A sharp cough jolted him out of his guilty rambling.

"Roy, Riza, Jean, as much as I'm grateful you aren't blaming Ed for what happened, I just know he'd be _pissed _to find out about you all having a pity party on who can take the most blame for something that was none of your faults."

Maes Hughes had shown up as soon as the word spread that Fullmetal had been shot and rushed to the hospital. He knew that Roy would likely blame himself for whatever had happened, but he hadn't expected all three of them to be trying to take responsibility for it.

"Hughes!" Roy stood up to greet his friend. "I'm glad you made it, he's still not out of surgery yet."

Hughes nodded, sparing a glance at Alphonse who was currently sitting on the floor, staring a hole into the door to the surgical ward. Kneeling in front of him Maes rested his hands on the cool metal shoulders.

"He's going to be ok," He smiled. "Ed's a tough kid."

Alphonse just nodded back, presuming his staring contest with the solid doors. Smiling grimly, Hughes turned to sit down next to Roy when the doors burst open.

"How is he?"

"Is he ok?"

"Can I see my brother?"

All of them were quick to lurch to their feet, barraging the doctor with a multitude of questions and having to be pushed back by Hughes.

"Edward will be ok," the doctor reassured them once everyone stepped back a bit. "The bullet was removed successfully, and he's currently resting in room 236 down the hall. He'll be out for a little bit, but he was incredibly lucky it missed anything vital. He'll need to be off work for at least two-three weeks to recover, and his bandages will have to be changed once a day for this first week. There's more to go over later, but for now I'll let you go back and see him," The doctor quickly informed them.

"Please keep it to one or two people in his room at a time," He called after them as the group turned to walk down the hallway. Havoc tossed a thumbs up back at the doctor to show that they'd mind the rules, albeit begrudgingly.

Everyone silently agreed to let Roy and Alphonse in first, they were the two that needed to be in there. Mustang would never dare say it out loud, but everyone could see that he worried about Edward just as much as any of his other subordinates, almost more like he would for a son.

Ed was still pale, but breathing easier and deeper. His eyes were sunken in and he had bags forming under his eyes from the strain of the event, but he looked peaceful and less likely to keel over anytime soon. Thick white bandages enclosed his chest, and an IV line was providing any needed pain meds and fluids. He had likely been dehydrated when they had brought him in, from the heat and from losing so much blood. Roy would later find out he had to have two transfusions, but for the time being he was content to pull up a chair and wait with Alphonse until he woke up. Which he did about two hours later.

Ed's eyelids felt like lead as he struggled to pull them open. His entire body ached, but nothing near what it did earlier. He was vaguely aware of two soft voices, and the steady beep of equipment seated next to him. Ed knew he was in the hospital, though he didn't recall making it there. Pulling himself together Ed peered up at the ceiling, wincing slightly at the brightness of the pale room. The notion hadn't gone unnoticed, and soon Mustang and Al were by his side.

"Brother! You're awake! Oh thank goodness," Alphonse was jittering anxiously, his metal creaking at he seemed to ponder what to do. Edward huffed and attempted to sit up, gasping as the pain in his abdomen flared up.

"Hey, hey, take it easy now," Roy snapped, more with worry than anything. "Slowly, you just got out of surgery."

He placed a hand behind Ed's back and helped him sit up carefully, pausing when the alchemist's face contorted in pain every so often. Soon Ed was sitting on his own, glancing up at them.

"How did I get here?"

"Mustang carried you out of Central Command and the ambulance brought you here," Alphonse supplied. "I can't believe you got _shot _brother! What were you thinking? Why didn't you just go to the hospital straight away? Why did you walk halfway across-"

Roy cut him off before he could get any more worked up.

"Hey calm down, why don't you go get your brother something to drink? You can yell at him later for all I care, but I'd rather not have to listen to it," Roy rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance. Alphonse ducked his head and sighed, leaving the room.

"Oh please, you'd never miss a chance to watch me get lectured," Ed scoffed. "And did you really carry me? Who said you were allowed to do that, Bastard…"

Roy grumbled, and walked to the side of the bed, staring harshly into Edward's eyes.

"Normally I'd love to hear you get pestered but I'm tired from sitting out in those hellishly uncomfortable chairs waiting for you to get out of surgery. And I don't know, maybe if you had been conscious, I wouldn't have had to." Roy stated plainly, trying to keep his voice level.

"You know damn well I couldn't have helped that," Edward snapped.

"Why didn't you just go straight to a hospital then?" Roy demanded.

Ed's gaze softened and he opened his mouth for a moment before pausing, unsure of what to say.

"I don't know..." He muttered.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I said I don't _know!_" Ed yelled, gritting his teeth into a frown.

Roy sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had sent Alphonse out of the room so Ed could get a breather after having just woken up, only for him to turn around and do the same thing. However, Ed's frown softened when he noticed how run-down the Colonel looked.

"Ok. I know... I'm sorry. You just really scared us today," Mustang said. "When you stopped responding, I-we thought you weren't going to make it."

Ed paused for a moment, staring back down at the hospital sheets with feigned interest. His eyes were wide at the thought of Mustang apologizing to him, and the slight slip.

"I…I'm sorry too…" Ed drawled softly after a few moments. If Mustang hadn't been paying attention, he likely wouldn't have heard it.

"I should have come straight here. I wasn't thinking straight."

The kid had to have been in pain, or exhausted, or both for him to apologize to blatantly. Roy placed a hand on the edge of the bed to get Ed's attention, and was still relieved to see clear golden eyes staring up at him.

"I'm just glad you're ok," He said with a soft smile.

"I brought water, how are you feeling brother?" Alphonse waltzed into the room, carrying a tray of plastic cups.

"I'm fine Al, don't worry so much," Ed grumbled, reaching slowly for the drinks.

"Maybe if you stopped giving me reasons to worry, I wouldn't have to," Al chided back, but there was no malice in his voice.

"Oh please, if you didn't have me to worry over, you'd just turn to the next unsuspecting thing- I swear you spend more time worrying than thinking sometimes," Ed chuckled between sips.

Alphonse feigned surprise, but was giggling all the same. Roy couldn't have been more relieved to hear the two of them bickering lightly, Fullmetal was going to be just fine.

He turned to head out and let one of the other officers in.

"Hey Colonel Bastard!"

Mustang turned around, rolling his eyes in mock irritation, though he couldn't have been happier to hear those words.

"Did you catch the guy?"

"In case you didn't realize we've been a little preoccupied, but I'll send a team out right away. He couldn't have gotten far, I doubt he's even left the city," Roy reassured him.

He normally would have been quick to get a team out, and he had had the time to make the call, but he had been too worried and stressed to do anything else. Not that he'd reveal that to Edward. It would only make him feel guilty.

"Yeah well fucking step on it, I don't want that asshole to go shootin' up any more innocent people," Ed grumbled.

"Sure thing shrimp," Mustang chided slyly.

"Hey! Who the hell are you calling _shrimp?!_" Ed screamed back at him, but was quick to cut it off with a wince as he placed his hands gingerly around his abdomen.

"Don't strain yourself Fullmetal, just take it easy. I'll come back to check on you later," Roy explained, turning once more to leave.

"Thanks, Bastard."

Roy smiled, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. It wasn't a perfect thank you, but he knew Ed meant it. Riza and everyone were quick to hound him about details, but he shrugged them off to make that phone call to his team, telling them to see for themselves. There may have been more than two people in Ed's room after that, but what the doctors didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

Ed was discharged a couple days later after the stitches healed up a little more, and he could walk without doubling over in pain. Roy swore he had gained a couple grey hairs throughout the entire ordeal, but Hawkeye just rolled her eyes at him every time he started fretting about it.

The pick-pocketer was brought in the day after Ed was brought into the hospital, facing a few additional charges aside from just petty theft.

If he was also sporting a few nasty burns from the encounter, no one dared to question it.


End file.
